JK Rowling is to make her screenwriting debut in a new Harry Potter-themed film series, Warner Bros has announced.
  The first film of the series will be titled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

  Warner Bros said the film series was part of an "expanded creative partnership" with the best-selling author.

  The eight Harry Potter films are the largest-grossing film franchise in history.

  The new film will feature Newt Scamander, the fictional author of the textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, owned by Harry Potter at Hogwarts school.

  Warner Bros has given no indication as to when the film could go into production.

  "It all started when Warner Bros came to me with the suggestion of turning Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them into a film," said Rowling.

  "I thought it was a fun idea, but the idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the supposed author of Fantastic Beasts, realised by another writer was difficult.

  "Having lived for so long in my fictional universe, I feel very protective of it and I already knew a lot about Newt. As hard-core Harry Potter fans will know, I liked him so much that I even married his grandson, Rolf, to one of my favourite characters from the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood.

  She went on: "As I considered Warners' proposal, an idea took shape that I couldn't dislodge. That is how I ended up pitching my own idea for a film to Warner Bros.

  "Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for 17 years, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world.

  "The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt's story will start in New York, 70 years before Harry's gets underway."

  Rowling added: "I always said that I would only revisit the wizarding world if I had an idea that I was really excited about and this is it."

  Warner Bros also announced that it would serve as the worldwide TV distributor (excluding the UK) for the upcoming BBC TV adaptation of Rowling's recent adult novel The Casual Vacancy. It is expected to air in 2014.

  More than 450 million copies of Rowling's seven Potter books have been sold worldwide.

  She also wrote two small volumes, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages - both named after Harry's schoolbooks within the novels. They were published in March 2001 in aid of Comic Relief.

  Another Potter spin-off book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, followed in December 2008.

  The Harry Potter novels, about a boy wizard who survives the attack that kills his parents, became a worldwide phenomenon and were turned into eight blockbuster Warner Bros films starring Daniel Radcliffe.

  The films have grossed more than $7.7bn (?4.8bn) to date worldwide at the box office, making Harry Potter the largest-grossing film franchise in history.

  (Source: BBC News)

  华纳兄弟公司宣布，“哈利波特”系列小说的作者JK罗琳将执笔创作该系列电影的外传剧本，外传系列名为“神奇动物及其产地”，与哈利在魔法学校时使用的课本同名。新片的背景定在哈利波特诞生70年前的纽约，故事将围绕着魔法动物学家纽特·斯卡曼德展开。罗琳表示，新系列电影不是哈利系列的前传或后传，而只是魔法世界的延伸。

  华纳方面表示，该系列是与罗琳“扩展的创造性伙伴关系”的一部分，但未透露电影何时开始制作。罗琳表示，华纳最初表示想将“神奇动物在哪里”搬上银幕时，她认为是个很好的主意，但是如果由别人来撰写剧本，她会难以接受，因为她对那个魔法世界的每个角色都很爱护；而她正好也有了新的灵感，所以才会有这次合作。“哈利波特”系列小说的全球销量超过4.5亿册，该系列电影在全世界收获了超过77亿美元的票房，成为有史以来票房收入最高的电影。